Storm War
by SoulAlly Hanna
Summary: Jen and Balence have a little problem on their hands: The Elemental Avatars. And to make it worse, Hanna isn't there to help! Balence would do ANYTHING if it meant not telling Jen what truly happened to Warlic. What will the two half-vampires do?
1. introduction

Hanna placed her hand on the cell wall. A dark glow filled the prison. Fire filled her mind.

"Hanna…"

She closed her eyes, remembering the voice. A friend. A mentor.

"Please…"

Opening her eyes she found herself standing over a silver haired mage in blue robes.

"Why?" She asked, voice braking. Her hand shook.

The mage looked up at her, forgivingly. "You must." He said. "One of us must survive…"

He placed a hand on her arm as she sank to the ground.

"Why me?" Her whole body shook, a chill falling over her even in the volcano.

"If I survive, he will just kill me anyway. If YOU survive, there is a chance he will let you go free."

Hanna's face fell. When it arose, she found herself back in her cell.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Jen lay on her belly, feet moving dreamingly as she drew in the sand by the dock.

Balence looked at her fishing rod blankly.

"B?" Jen asked, not looking up.

"Yeah, sis?" Balence looked down at her.

"When will Hanna be back?" Jen asked, tilting her head at her drawing as if thinking about something.

Balence blinked. "I… she'll be back when she's ready." She said at last.

Jen stopped. "And Warlic?"

At this, Balence had no reply. What would she say? He had survived his and Hanna's encounter with Xan, but… his apprentice was not as dumbly tricked as Xan. Not in the slightest.

"B? When will Warlic be coming back?" Jen asked, more sternly.

"I… don't know, Jen. I really don't." Balence sighed. Jen was so young! She would never understand.

Jen looked back at her drawing. A staff topped with a gem. Warlic's staff.

She sighed, sadly, a tear falling from her eyes. She missed him.

Some time later, the two went home. Balence got a sinking feeling as she looked over at Jen's bed. The little blond half-vampire lay with her back to Balence, but she knew Jen could see her every move.

If only she could tell her what really happened to Warlic. Tell her about the explosion; the battle. About how Nythera had used the potion that Jen had 'helped' her make. Her mind drifted back to that day…

She was just talking to Cysero. Jen was playing with one of his orbs, talking to it and watching it cast spells. A bright light and large boom rose from the direction of Warlic and Cysero's tower.

Jen's brown eyes looked towards the explosion. "W-what was that, sis?" She asked, holding the orb for comfort.

"I… don't know, Jen." Balence said, looking at Cysero. "Looks like it came from your place. Imma go check it out! Jen, stay right there!"

Tilting her head, Jen went to stand by Cysero. "What do you think it was?"

"I Don't know." He replied. "I just know it wasn't one of MY explosions."

"Your explosions?" Jen looked up at him with confusion.

"When I moved in, Warlic asked me if I wanted to be in charge of bills, laundry, or something else." He stated matter-of-factly. "I picked explosions."

"Oh…" Jen's eyes widened with interest, the orb in her hand glowing brightly.

Running down the road to Warlic's tower, images filled Balence's mind. What could have been behind the explosion? Could it have been a training accident with Nythera? Did he mix the wrong potion reagents? Was he OK?

Her feet hurt. Why did she never learn teleportation? Would she make it in time to see what was going on?

At last, she made it. At first site, nothing seemed wrong. For a mage tower at least. Potions skittered about, check. Strange, glowing book-case, check. Nythera yelling, check.

Wait a moment… WHAT was she yelling?

"Give me back my Dragon Magic NOW, old man!" Nythera yelled, hands raised at her sides as if summoning some kind of spell.

Warlic just looked at her from where he was standing, looking a little shaken. "Remind me to teach you the value of patience next!" He said.

Nythera was unpleased with that reply. She pulled her hands up near her face. "Give me back my Dragon Magic, or I will take YOURS!" She yelled.

"You could not handle the amount of magic I own, apprentice!" Warlic said.

"Lier! You don't know WHAT I can do!" She complained, moving her hands towards Warlic, a purple beam of light streaking towards him at full speed and power.

At the last second, Warlic teleported out of the way. Nythera looked around, a green potion in her hand. Suddenly, she was sent flying across the room with a blue energy beam.

Warlic looked down at her, looking much less shaken now that the first shock seemed to have passed. She screamed with rage, pulling out the potion again.

She tossed it at him. It crashed right into his chest. Balence looked on in shock and horror as Warlic fell to the ground. His dead body turned to a black-gray mist that seemed to gravitate towards his orb and staff, now in the hands of Nythera. She raised the orb to her face, a blueish light fled from the orb into her eyes.

"The Blue Mage is dead, Balence." She muttered, looking over at where Balence was standing, her body glowing. "Witness the rise of the purple mage."

"B-but you... you KILLED him!" Balence stuttered. "How... how could you?"

"Oh, it was simple, Balence." Nythera grinned. "And your sister helped a lot with that potion she made me."

"Jen…" Balence muttered under her breath, sadly. She looked back at Nythera, voice stronger now. "I… won't let you get away with this!" She yelled.

"There is nothing more for you to do, B." Nythera grinned wider. "Save protecting Falconreach from the elementals I have summoned." Her eyes burned. "They will PAY for making fun of me! Be gone, Balence, and make sure I have something to rule over after the destruction!"


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Balence opened the door weakly. Cysero looked at her for a moment.

"Hi'ya, B." He said. "Jen's sleeping."

She nodded, walking past him, to the room she knew her sister would be.

"She needs a home, Balence." Cysero said with such surety it took Balence by surprise.

"It's not safe, not for her, not for us." The darkness and pain in her voice was clear. She didn't turn to look at him.

"She's just a kid. How could anyone want to..." He started, then stopped, seeing the pain in the way she stood. "What's wrong?"

"I can't tell her. Not now."

"Tell her what? Is Warlic OK?"

The silence that filled the room said it all. The pain in Balence's stance meaning nothing now. The pain Jen would feel being all the two could think of. The pain of knowing why they never stayed in one place. The pain of knowing the only one out side of FalconReach who trusted her was dead.

The candle by Jen's bed blew out, leaving the room as dark as Balence's thoughts. Shadows seemed to grow around Jen like approaching doom.

She rolled over, as if a bad dream had come over her, then was still again, hugging the little blue doll in her hands.

Hanna opened her eyes again, pulling herself off the floor.

"It's alright now, hunny." She heard her sisters voice say. "Warlic's fine. It was just... a small complication. Warlic is... gone on a little trip now, OK? Just until he gets everything under control."

She turned to see the dream like image as Balence lifted Jen out of an old bed in the back of Cysero's shop, hugging her close. The room was very dark, so only Jen and Balence could see very well.

"Then he'll be back? Like last time?" Jen asked, her voice soft. She sounded like she just woke up.

"I... yes. Like last time." Balence smiled sadly.

"And he'll bring Hanna, right, sis?" Her small red eyes glittered in the low light.

"He'll bring her, yes."

"And mommy and daddy?"

"Y-yes. He'll bring them too. Now, go back to sleep, love. Close your eyes. When morning comes, everything will be alright."

Then, she blinked and it was gone. She was back in the dark cell with her head on the floor. She started to cry.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Jen!" Reens called, as she opened the door, giggling a little. "Your late again."

"Sorry, Reens." Jen said. "I was talking to Ash."

Reens walked out the door, picking her up in a small hug.

"I bet you were." She smiled. "But now is time for lessons. Come on, Alina's waiting."

She put her down, taking the small sun umbrella from her hands and closing it.

"Don't forget to use that when you leave, OK?" She said in a motherly way. "I don't want you getting a sunburn in this heat."

Jen giggled.

"It's not that warm, Reens!" She said, smiling.

"Oh, but it is." Reens smiled, patting the small girls head. "Trust me."

Balence looked on from behind a tree. The joy in Jen's eyes made her frown. She wouldn't be that happy again, when she knew the truth.

A small hand landed on her arm, waking her up.

"Sis, you were sleeping." Jen said, smiling. "It's night time, sis. Come on! Let's go hunting. Please?"

Balence shook her head, waking up.

"Uh- yeah. It's about time we did." She nodded.

"I hear there are some Chickencows in the woods near The Sand Sea." Jen said.

"You know that's too close to humans, Jen." Balence said harshly. "You know how you get while hunting."

Jen looked down sadly.

"Jen?" Balence placed a hand on her arm. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell. How about I get a Chickencow and bring it back? You can have it here. Sound good?"

Jen didn't look up. Steve rubbed against her leg, trying to cheer her up. Nothing.

"Hunny?"

Suddenly, a knock on the door startled them. Balnece stood.

"I'll be right back, sis."

She opened the door and saw Tomix.

Words made their way over to Jen.

"Elementals..." "Is everyone OK?" "They seem to be... Nythera has Lady C... sending heros, but they don't come back." "Getting stronger..." "Don't tell her about..." "I wont."

The two walked into the bedroom where Jen was still looking down.

"He's not coming back is he?" She said darkly.

"What do you mean?" Balence said.

He and Tomix brought themselves down next to her.

"Warlic. He's not coming back is he?" Jen said, cosing her fist.

"Hun, he is. Why would you say that? He'll be back like he was last time." Tomix said, kindly, placing a hand on her arm.

She shrugged him off.

"I heard you and Cysero talking. Somethings happened to him, and you wont tell me."

Balence sighed.

"He's just... a little hurt, thats all. Just a small burn. L-like mine." Balence pointed to the burn on her arm. "But a lot smaller. It was from a potion."

Jen said nothing.

"Jen, trust me. If some one had hurt Warlic, the whole of Falconreach would be after he- them." Tomix said, correcting himself.

Nothing. She turned her head away from them.

"Jen..." Balence tried.

Nothing she tried worked. She tried talking to her, she just kept moving away from her. She tried taking her out hunting near The Sand Sea, she wouldn't even leave Ravenloss. After a while, the two gave up.

"Come on, hun. Tomix needs to get back to Edelia soon. You know what that is, right Jen? It's the school of SoulWeaving."

Jen said nothing, not looking at them.

"Do you want to come with me? I'm sure you would make a great SoulWeaver. I saw what you did that time Hanna gave you her Looms." Tomix smiled. "And I just know you'll be able to Weave. It's not like Casting. Not really."

Nothing.

Both of them sighed.

"You know what." Tomix smiled a bit. "Just for that..."

He pucked her up, tickling her. She giggled a little at first, smiling, then stopped.

"Don't let Sorrow fill your heart completely, Jen. Bad things might happen." He put her down, softly.

Him and Balence started walking out of the houce. When they were gone, Aspar showed up behind Jen.

"They lied to you. Don't let them hurt you, Jen." He said. "You always have me. **_I'll_** be kind to you."

He placed a hand on her arm. This time she let it stay there.


End file.
